Author Note:

Firstly, please note that this particular story has been sitting on my computer for some time. I wrote it before I started reading the manga, so here our favorite undead priestess is still dwelling among the world of the living.

Secondly, I had intended to write something that went before and after this piece, but I have about twenty different snippets of stories on my hard drive and never could make any of them work. One day, if I'm feeling really ambitious, I'll write something, but for now, assume Kagome and InuYasha's relationship is further along than Rumiko has taken it in both the anime and the manga.

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha. If I did…things would be different.

To Hell and Back

by Maria Sophania

Goodbye Isn't Forever

He stood in front of them, his haori untucked and untied revealing his muscled chest. His strong arm remained around her side, clutching her tightly to his own as he said goodbye to his companions.

Growing up, he never imagined he could have this…this family. He was an outcast, mocked and ridiculed by the people he thought he could have trusted. His mother was his world, her arms so strong, her words so kind. She took everything the people dished out to both herself and him, never wavering. When she had died, he found exactly how cruel the world truly was.

Then he had met Kikyou. The woman who spared him his life so many times over all those years ago only to cash in on his promise when the prospect of a truly happy life seemed possible.

Happiness. Kagome.

Kagome remained silent beside him, tears stinging her eyes but not falling. At that, he could not help but glance down at her slightly rounded belly as the fingers of his arm that wrapped around her clenched the fabric there.

Keh. Perhaps happiness really isn't possible for a pathetic hanyou.

It was Sango who broke the silence, her strong voice quieted by the heavy air around them.

"Thank you, InuYasha. Without your help, I would never have been able to save Kohaku. I am indebted to you." Sango bowed her head, her hands clasped together in front of her. Tears streaked her face as she look back up and approached the hanyou, wrapping her arms around his larger frame. InuYasha never let loose Kagome, his free hand coming to pat the taijiya awkwardly on the back.

"Thank you, Sango. Without your strength, we never would have gotten this far. Hell, you've gotten us out of more pinches than I've gotten us into" He smirked at the woman he had admired for so long. She was so strong. Her heart, her body, her mind. His words were true and heartfelt as he spoke them, evoking a choked sob from the woman as she bowed her head with a whispered, "Thank you, InuYasha," and returned to her place at the houshi's side.

Miroku remained rooted to his spot, his eyes glazed over with what he hoped was a controlled expression.

"InuYasha, I have lived my entire life truly believing that I would die the same way as my father and his father before him. I had accepted this death until you and Kagome-sama came and gave me something greater than either myself or my fathers before me had ever had: hope. For that, InuYasha, I shall never forget your name or your place in my own heart and memories. May Kami smile upon you in that dark place that you must now journey."

Miruko brought a single hand up in a gesture of prayer and bowed his head, a single tear streaking down his cheek.

InuYasha gulped. He had never had friends before, and this saying goodbye thing was way harder than he had thought it was going to be.

"I think I'd rather you had kept your hands to yourself and off my mate, bouzo, but I couldn't imagine our journey without your being here." That was all the two men needed. No more words were spoken among them, understanding coming to their hearts and that manly pride to not cry over another man ringing in their minds.

InuYasha still remained as stoic as ever, his brows set and his voice sure. He was holding it in better than he thought he would. Or at least until that ball of brown fur launched himself at him.

The kitsune clutched InuYasha's open haori, his green orbs glancing on the hanyou's disheveled hair and sullen face.

"Please, InuYasha, don't go! I mean, I'll be nice, I swear! Just don't leave us, please, InuYasha!"

Bringing a hand to dislodge the kit from his form, he gently brought the form to meet his amber eyes. "It's your job now, Shippou. It's your job to protect them. All of them. It's your job to protect Kagome and my pup. Don't let me down, ok Shippou?"

His words were gentle and his eyes firm. The kitsune slowly nodded his head, remaining uncharacteristically quiet. The hanyou gently set the kit down as he ran to stand beside Miroku, his eyes set on determination.

InuYasha turned his eyes to the neko-youkai, growling slightly as the neko mewed in response.

That was everyone but the one that made it all the hardest. His eyes darted down to his friend, lover, and mate. Her eyes remained ahead, her fingers clutching his haori. He had already said his goodbye to her, and he would be damned if he would go through that again.

/Flashback/

InuYasha clutched her shoulders harder as he bit back tears. This was the last time he would ever feel her form beneath his, her warm body wrapped around his larger one, her beautiful voice as it caressed his ears and soul as she shouted his name in ecstasy.

He heard her moan underneath him, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck. His tongue moved over a mark on her neck, his mark, eliciting another needier moan. Kagome grunted at his actions, aggravated at her lover's steady but slow pace.

"InuYasha…"

He grinned at the sound of her aggravated tone. When it came to them and mating absolutely nothing was slow, and tonight he did nothing but take everything at an unhurried pace.

At her whimper, he braced himself and sped up, rocking their forms until she could not buck against him in time for his next thrust. He buried his head in her neck as he neared his peak, both feeling and smelling the woman beneath him reaching her own.

Her arms tightened against his back, legs clutched his hips, and her walls tensed as she screamed out his name.

InuYasha reveled in the sound as he let out a deep growl, one that Kagome knew by heart, and pumped into her one last time as hard as he could without hurting her fragile form.

Kagome loved the rumble in his chest as it sent shivers down her spine and sweat soaked body. Both lay panting for what seemed like eternity until InuYasha lifted his head from her chest, his member still nestled in her core.

"I love you, Kagome."

There was something she could not recognize in his eyes, realization coming to her as a single tear slid down his cheek.

"Oh, InuYasha."

She clutched him tighter as he buried his head in her chest once more, both trying to suppress sobs from ruining their moment.

"Take care of him, Kagome. Or her. I don't really care as long as you both are happy."

InuYasha brought a hand to her rounded stomach and rested it there, his eyes gazing at the slight protrusion from their position on his mate's chest.

Kagome stifled a sob, nodding her head as she closed her eyes and focused on InuYasha's fingers caressing the outward shell of her womb. Only a couple more months. If they could wait just a couple more months.

"Take the Tetsusaiga. A legacy from me and my father. Maybe he'll add his own fang to it one day. Or hers. Whichever." InuYasha grinned as he absently continued to rub his mate's naked stomach, the aforementioned sword resting—always—within arms reach.

"I'm sorry I made that promise, Kagome." He raised his head, his face now level with her own, one hand bracing his weight under her shoulder as the other continued his ministrations on her swollen abdomen.

She brought a hand to caress his face, a sad smile gracing her lips.

"Don't ever be sorry, InuYasha. I understand. I really do."

He took one last look into her eyes and crushed his lips to hers, pouring in every ounce of love, longing, and fear he had within him.

When they broke, they stared into each other's eyes for a moment before InuYasha shifted so as not to crush her and his pup and buried his face into the neck of his mate. Kagome turned her head to press against his, familiar ears twitching against her cheek.

And lying like that, they had cried.

/End Flashback/

And now here they stood, clutching her form desperately to his side, his ears pinned against his head in sorrow.

He looked up from her form and addressed his friends…his family.

"Will you guys come? Part of the way, I mean."

InuYasha averted his eyes, hoping they would think no less of him for wanting their help. It was hard enough to do this now with everyone here, it would have been harder to do it alone with his mind full of regrets.

His comrades nodded to him as he turned and led the way into the forest.

They walked in silence until some while later InuYasha stopped and glanced back at his companions one last time. He smiled at them, the most genuine smile he knew. They halted in understanding, Miroku moving to sit against a tree nearby.

They would wait here for Kagome to return without her mate.

He turned back to the path and began walking again, still holding desperately to the woman at his side.

They walked for several minutes before InuYasha halted, sniffing the air and gazing up as he noticed shinidama-chuu soaring above. She's close. He glanced down at the woman at his side, her eyes downcast as a hand absently rubbed her belly.

He shifted his shoulders, loosing contact with her warmth for only a moment as his red haori fell from his shoulders. He draped it across her, running his hands down her arms as he smiled at her. For their pup. Kagome nodded in understanding as InuYasha wrapped his arm around her again, pulling her close.

He brought his free hand to her chin and raised her face until he could claim her lips. Within the kiss, he tried to give all his love, but to Kagome, some fear seeped through despite his attempts at holding it at bay.

There was no innocence in their kiss, in their caresses, in their clutched arms and hands. InuYasha held onto Kagome for dear life, coming to rest his forehead on the one of the smaller woman in his arms.

"Ka-Kagome…"

Kagome brought her fingers to rest on his lips, silencing him with a "shhh." He grinned in spite of himself as he nipped at her fingers, a thought forming in his mind. She's going to be an amazing mother.

"We'll be ok, you know that. This pup will know that his, or her, father was the greatest man who had ever lived. We'll never forget you, InuYasha." She wrapped her arms around his neck squeezing tight as the hanyou encircled her form with his arms, pressing every inch of her against him. He could feel her enlarging breasts against his chest. He could feel his growing pup against his stomach. He could feel her warm breath on his neck. And he thought everything he had endured up until now was worth it, to just have this moment.

He reluctantly pulled away, raising her face to his once again, one last time, to press a slow, deep kiss on her lips. He gently pulled away, pulling Tetsusaiga from its place and allowing Kagome to gently wrap her shaking fingers around the sheath.

"I love you, InuYasha, my hanyou."

"I love you, Kagome, my mate."

With those words, he kissed her again as hard as he could. Pulling inside of him every last ounce of strength, he gently pulled away, catching her eyes and inhaling her scent one last time before loosening his grip and turning from her form.

As InuYasha disappeared into the trees ahead, Kagome noticed a small, wet trail that followed him into the darkness.

He could smell it as he walked away from her. The air smelled of nothing but tears. And he knew she was not the only one making it that way.

InuYasha could not help but allow them to fall. He could not hold them back anymore. He could count on one hand how many times he had cried in his life, including the night before.

He reached the clearing in silence, head hung low, ears still pinned against his head, suikan untucked, hair in disarray, and sorrow in his eyes.

That was the condition that Kikyou, his beloved, found him in as he approached her, prepared to keep his promise.

He stopped a few feet from her, his amber eyes rising to hers in determination. He had loved this woman once, and loved her still. But this woman held nothing but his past. It was Kagome who held his future, a small growing life with only a few months to go.

"Well, Kikyou…I'm ready."

To be continued...